Perri Klass

Pediatrician, Author & Medical Journalist; Professor of Journalism & Pediatrics at New York University; Literacy Advocate & Medical Director of Reach Out and Read; Author of "A Good Time to Be Born"

New York, NY, USA
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Children's Authors, Education Reform, Family & Parenting, Health & Wellness, Literacy, Medicine, Storytelling
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Perri Klass Biography

Dr. Perri Klass is a pediatrician, author, and professor known for her contributions to pediatric medicine, medical journalism, and childhood literacy. Klass serves as professor of journalism and pediatrics at New York University and as medical director of Reach Out and Read, a national childhood literacy program that collaborates with healthcare professionals to encourage parents to read aloud to young children and provides families with books to support early literacy.

Klass earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard and completed her residency in pediatrics at Children's Hospital, Boston, followed by a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Boston City Hospital. She began writing about medicine and medical training as a medical student, with her experiences collected in the books "A Not Entirely Benign Procedure: Four Years as a Medical Student" and "Baby Doctor: A Pediatrician's Training." Her work addresses topics such as women in medicine, doctor-patient relationships, and the importance of literacy in child development.

Klass is the author of four novels—"The Mercy Rule," "The Mystery of Breathing," "Other Women's Children," and "Recombinations"—as well as two short story collections, "Love and Modern Medicine" and "I Am Having an Adventure." The novel "Other Women's Children" was adapted into a Lifetime TV movie. In "A Good Time to Be Born: How Science and Public Health Gave Children a Future," Klass explores the impact of public health, sanitation, and vaccination on child health, highlighting the contributions of pioneering women physicians and public health advocates.

As national medical director of Reach Out and Read, Klass promotes early literacy through primary care providers at thousands of clinics, health centers, hospitals, and doctor's offices across the United States. She has trained healthcare professionals in the United States and internationally, including in Portugal and the Philippines, on integrating literacy guidance into pediatric care. Klass is a member of the National Advisory Council of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and has been nominated to the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Literacy.

Klass has received a James Beard Journalism Award for magazine writing on diet, nutrition, and health, a Virtual Mentor Award from the American Medical Association, an Honors Award from the New England Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association, and five O. Henry Awards for short fiction. She also received the American Academy of Pediatrics Education Award for her educational contributions to child health, particularly her work with Reach Out and Read. Her role as a medical journalist was featured in the National Library of Medicine exhibit Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians at the National Institutes of Health.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/07/2026.

Perri Klass Videos

Dr. Perri Klass on the importance of reading with your kids

Dr. Perri Klass on the importance of reading with your kids

“The most important voice in your child’s world.” Dr. Perri Klass, National Medical Director of Reach Out and Read and Professor of...

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Baby Doctor: A Pediatrician's Training
Baby Doctor: A Pediatrician's Training
Treatment Kind and Fair Letters to a Young Doctor
Treatment Kind and Fair Letters to a Young Doctor
A Not Entirely Benign Procedure
A Not Entirely Benign Procedure

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  • What topics does Perri Klass speak about?

    Perri Klass is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Children's Authors, Education Reform, Family & Parenting, Health & Wellness, Literacy, Medicine, Storytelling

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Perri Klass is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Perri Klass for your event is available upon request. Perri Klass generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Alan Greene, Dr. Elisa Song, Dr. Zoe Williams, Somava Saha and Angela Fitch. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Perri Klass for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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